A Moment in the Nursery
by enchantedmountain
Summary: While Elinor is out to the village, Fergus spends some time with baby Merida. What does Elinor find when she comes back? [ONESHOT]


**Disclaimer:** _Brave_ and all its associated characters belong to D*sney.

* * *

"Oh, come on now, love!"

A chubby, freckled face scrunched in concentration, arms and legs stretched out as the infant lay stomach-down. With little grunts and whimpers, she brought her arms closer to her, shakingly trying to lift herself up on her forearms. However, it was only mere seconds later that tears filled up her big blue eyes, high-pitched cries erupting from her.

"No, no, no!" Frantic, Fergus got closer to his daughter while on his hands and knees. He had been trying to get her to crawl and so had been modeling for her. Seeing her cry in such a way though, it rendered him useless. Gaping and stammering, his big hands tried to help the infant get into crawling position.

Awkwardly, he placed his hands under her pits and lifted her torso. He winced as she began to shriek in pain and frustration, the sound of his child crying tearing at his soul. Not knowing what else to do, he laid her back on the rug. Still crying, the small redhead buried her head in the floor, ignoring her father's pleads for her to stop crying.

He bit his lip and looked around the nursery, trying to find something that might calm her down. If Elinor were here, she would be able to get their daughter to stop crying- and even get her to give her little hiccupy laugh! But she had gone out to get fitted for dresses, seeing as she had finally been able to loose the weight she had gained during her pregnancy. And so, it was up to Fergus to keep Merida happy and safe.

How would he have known that this was going to make her shriek and sob?

Murmuring softly in Gaelic as he moved to be hovering over the child, he gently rolled her over so she was on her back. Merida's sobs got louder as her position was changed, hands fisted and arms half-lifted. Her face was red and streaked with tears, her wails riddled with gasps as she fought for air. Terrified, the newly crowned King stood up and ran over to her crib.

Giving a triumphant "Ah-ha!" as he found his target, he made his way back to Merida much more calmly. The babe's sobs had calmed down, having been frozen with slight fright at Fergus' stomps as he had run. Now, she was only sniffling and hiccuping, arms lowering to settle back on the floor. Watery blue eyes blinked up at him, but they quickly focused on the object in his hand.

Her horse!

Seeing the infant take a shuddering breath as she tried to calm herself down, the man smiled softly. With his free hand gently twirling around one of the few curls that made up her tuff of hair, he playfully waved the wooden horse above her face. Still hiccuping, Merida's wide eyes looked up at his, meeting a smiling pair of light blue eyes that made her blink in response.

"It's alright, my darlin'," he whispered, his deep and familiar voice making the child visibly calm down more. Her breaths were now short and hiccupy, but her eyes no longer seemed distressed. "D'ye want yer toy?" Fergus brought the horse closer and made a smooching sound as the wooden, miniature snout touched Merida's pert nose.

She smiled crookedly, not big enough to show her toothless gums but enough that her dad let out a relieved sigh. A calm Merida made for a happy Elinor which made for a chipper Fergus. It all worked out.

He decided that there wasn't anything wrong with them just laying and relaxing. The fire was warm at his feet, a safety wall made of iron but designed in a fashion that made it seem woven providing an additional barrier between the flames and Merida. The windows were closed tightly, positive to keep the winter cold out of the nursery. Seeing as this was where the princess spent most of her time, save for bedtime for that was in the King's room, it was of the utmost priority that this room was the warmest of the castle.

Rolling Merida onto her side, knowing the child still had trouble turning around by herself, he then handed her the small rocking horse. With a guttural noise of glee, she accepted the toy and began to turn it around, investigating it as if it were the first time she saw it. Chuckling softly, Fergus lifted himself of the floor and gathered a small army of stuffed animals and one large blanket.

One could never be too safe with these Scottish winters.

Placing the teddy and rabbit stuffed animals in a ring around his daughter, he slowly placed the blanket over her. Once that was done, he laid down beside her and underneath the blanket. Curling an arm around her head, his palm was easily a few inches away from her back. Always ready to catch her should she begin rolling away as she slept.

It wouldn't take long for her to sleep. He had learned early on that she slept a lot and that it was normal. She was only five months old, it wouldn't be for a while that she would be able to do more activities without getting drained so quickly. And after the combination of attempting to crawl and crying out her lungs, well- he'd be sleepy too. As both daughter and father shared a long yawn, it wasn't very obvious as to who would fall asleep first.

Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be Fergus. Snoring softly, he laid on his side in a peaceful slumber. He had been smart in spreading out his arms as he had in a protective barrier around Merida, the babe having rolled to the side as she fell asleep. Snuggling into her father's huge arm, her little fingers curled around his own thick fingers in a show of trust and dependence.

It was like this that Elinor found them.

Only an hour after they had fallen asleep had her carriage arrived back on castle grounds. Her first concern had immediately been her daughter, seeing as the appointed nurse had been at the entrance to greet her return. For a moment, she had sputtered in shock at seeing the young woman _without_ Merida in her arms.

"Just what are ye doin' down 'ere? Where's my daug'ter? Who's with 'er?" Not giving the surprised nurse a chance to even fully digest the questions, Elinor gave an exasperated sigh. Throwing her hands up in the air, she picked up her skirts and strode up the staircase. Muttering under her breath about incompetent staff, her shifty brown eyes revealed that she wasn't truly angry (yet), just worried.

Checking first her bedroom and finding it empty, she then crossed the hallway to look inside of Fergus' room. Finding that unoccupied as well, she gave a muffled roar of anxiety, clenching her hands in front of her chest. Where else could she look? Her daughter was only a _babe_! Not even a year old and already causing her heart to stop in worry.

But then she heard it. The sound that she had been hearing in an almost nightly basis for the past twenty two years. A sound that would normally make her huff in irritation now made her give a sigh of relief.

Following the sound of her husband's snoring, she found herself at the nursery just a ways down the hallway. The door wasn't fully closed, a small crack being the reason why she had been able to hear Fergus' snoring. A small smile on her face, Elinor gently opened the door to step through. Her steps were light on the wooden floor, quickly being completely muffled once she was on the rug that Merida and Fergus were sleeping on. She tilted her head in amusement, the sight making her wish she could sketch and so keep this moment forever.

Although it was no secret to any of the clans that Fergus adored Merida, he was normally very... male in how he showed his affection. He tended to hold her close in a manner that didn't really say adoration but more like animalistic protectiveness. When the two played, Elinor was always on end because she knew that Fergus sometimes forgot just how strong he was. He could be trying his hardest to be gentle and yet end up bruising her waist when they kissed. So although she loved and trusted him with their daughter, there was always that fear that his joy of Merida accomplishing something might get the best of him.

But not here. Right now, Fergus was basically a dog showing its underside. His body was lax in sleep, face softened and taking off the extra years that the war had etched into him. With baby Merida curled into his outspread arm, just barely the size of his forearm, it added a certain element of adorable that made her bite her bottom lip. If she didn't, she was sure that a very unladylike squeal would have escaped her. Not only was that bad etiquette but it could also wake Merida.

Lifting her skirts, Elinor made her way to Merida's side. Seeing her daughter holding on to her daddy's fingers did make a soft and joyful gasp escape her, happy tears gathering in her eyes. Quickly wiping them away, she took a deep breath and began uncurling Merida's fingers. As endearing as the scene was, if Merida did end up taking her whole nap on the floor, she would wake up cranky from the uncomfortable position.

The new mother was expecting her child to began whimpering or crying at any moment, but it happened much later than she thought. It wasn't until she was taking the blanket off of her that the redhead started to stir in her sleep. Once Elinor had her hands underneath her back, beginning to lift her off the ground, _that's_ when the whimpers began.

Acting quickly, she lifted the child to her chest (while still being in a crouching position herself) and cooed at the shifting babe. It took for her to begin to hum a lullaby for Merida to settle back into a deep enough sleep that she stopped her fussing while in her mother's arms. Biting the inside of her cheek, Elinor stood from the rug and made her way to the nursery crib.

Shushing and murmuring reassuring words to the infant as she settled her in the much more comfortable crib, she gave a soft sigh at the same time as Merida. Watching her child quickly settle herself underneath the sheets, a soft smile spread on her lips. Elinor waited until Merida's breathing settled into a nice, even pattern to feel sure that the child was really asleep once more.

Contentment filling her being, she turned from the crib and looked down at Fergus. But she expected to find him still sleeping, and she supposed that the sudden relative silence of the room should have tipped her off, instead met with a pair of sky blue eyes. A sharp gasp escaped her, her brown eyes narrowing as he chuckled softly. Humphing, she continued looking down at him, silently asking him to get up from the floor already.

"Lay down 'ere," he whispered. He patted the area beside him, pushing aside a few of the stuffed animals already there. At her curious look, he gave her a sheepish grin in return. "Lass needed to 'ave some protection- an' what better teach'r than some stuffed animals!"

Elinor shook her head and pursed her lips as she tried to hold back her smile, finally deciding to play along and lie down beside him. He pulled open the blanket for her and she got underneath with small giggles at the collection of stuffed 'guardians' surrounding them. Getting close to him, she rested her forearms on his chest and intertwined their legs together. He was just so warm, and secure, and kind, and affectionate- and so soon after the war, she wasn't going to waste an opportunity to be close to him.

He gently covered her with the other half of the blanket, wrapping an arm around her waist and keeping her close to him. With a happy sigh, Elinor closed her eyes and rested her head on his collarbone. He bent his head to rest his cheek on her hair, his fingers twirling the ends of her braids. Fergus moved his head back a fraction, kissed her forehead and then settled their foreheads together.

"Why was she cryin', Fergus?" The man blinked in surprise, completely at a loss as to how she got that conclusion. Already knowing her husband was clueless to her thought process, she smirked. "I got eyes, Fergus. Her cheeks were ruddy an' I know those were cryin' eyes."

"Crawlin'," he grumbled. "I was tryin' to get her to do one, jus' one! But apparently she's not ready." The redhead sighed, rubbing gentle circles on Elinor's back in nervousness. "It isn't right, Elinor. She can't even turn over!"

His wife sighed, ducking her head and snuggling closer to him. She knew that Merida could be considered to behind in some aspects of her development, but she didn't know what to _do_. The physicians hadn't noted anything truly odd about her, save her small size given her parents were quite tall, and had told them that it would all just take time.

"I don't know, Fergus. I mean- I, we could-" Sighing once more, she shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered.

Fergus narrowed his eyes as she appeared to give up so quickly. Moving the hand that was on her back to gently grasp her chin, he lifted her head so she was looking at him. Wide brown eyes stated at him in surprise. Before she could question him, he began speaking softy, his deep voice a comfortable lull with the cackling fireplace.

"Why're you givin' up so soon? That's not my queen." His hand shifted to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing her lips lovingly. "My queen would be telling me to stop being such a foolish man and-"

"That we'll find a way," she murmured as she smiled against his thumb. Turning her head slightly, she pressed a kiss to the inside of his palm, sighing contentedly at the soft kiss he pressed against her jawline. Smiling now, she lightly wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him to nuzzle her neck playfully.

"Foolish man," she whispered, a giggle slipping out as he chuckled against her skin. "I 'aven't been Scotland's queen that lon'."

"Aye, but ye've always been mine." Lifting his head, Fergus' eyes were perfectly leveled with hers. His eyes were warm with obvious adoration ad love for Elinor, his dreamy smile speaking volumes of how highly he revered her. "From t'e moment ye smiled at me twenty two years ago, all flustered an' shy as a new spring fawn."

Blushing softly at his words, she let out a breathy laugh. Even though she was nearly forty, whenever Fergus started to speak nice and low to her (more so when his words were so loving), it made her feel like a young girl talking to her crush for the first time. And while Fergus hadn't been her first crush, he had been her first love- just as she was his.

"Then I suppose ye've always been my king as well. All muscle and goofy grins, trippin' all over yerself when we met." They laughed at the memory, their first meeting not having been the most picture perfect. "Compared to all those ot'er haug'ty suitors," she smiled lovingly at him, her delicate hand coming up to cup his cheek, "'ow could I not fall in love wit' ye?"

Grinning quite widely, Fergus brought Elinor flush against him, locking their lips in a happy kiss. She gave a muffled giggle, both hands cupping his face as she brought her head a little higher. The kiss was close-lipped first, innocent in the way their lips brushed against each other, having been an instinctual way of showing affection. Slowly, it turned deeper and fiercer in its passion, with nips and gasps playing a part.

When Fergus rolled her to lay on her back, his large form hovering above her as he rained kisses on her face, that's when she started protesting. Elinor's hands moved down to his chest, gently pushing back on him. "Fergus," she gasped, his mouth having found a sensitive spot on her neck. "Fergus, not here." It seemed he didn't hear her, his lips traveling along her ear. She whimpered, letting out a small, "Please."

That did it. With a final kiss to her cheek, he pulled back, looking down at her flushed face with a small hint of male pride. "Very well, my Queen." Chuckling as she rolled her eyes, he moved to sit beside her. Waiting for her to sit up as well, he stood up calmly and offered his hand, bringing her up with a cheeky grin as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Show me what ye bought in t'e village." Giving her one childish kiss on the cheek, he began to lead them out of the nursery. "Did'ye get much?"

"Nay, well, I suppose it could- Don't close it!" She took his hand off the door handle, slapping him away and keeping the door open just enough. "We need to 'ear 'er when she wakes up."

He merely sighed, letting her wrap her hand around his arm as they continued down the hall. She began chattering about the short trip, not noticing that his nods were absent minded. It was only as they were entering her room that he did speak up.

"But dear, were ye able to get some," he fumbled for the word, "_proper_ gowns?"

"Aye! I could put 'em on for ye, if ye'd-"

"Let's get to it, my love!" A devilish glint in his eyes, he placed his hands on her waist. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he whispered, "I hope ye don't mind me assisting ye." As she turned to him in confusion, his wink made the dots connect.

As the door closed behind them, a muffled squeal of "Fergus!" and a hearty chuckle were heard throughout the top level of the castle. The servants present only shared knowing smiles and promptly continued their tasks.

After all, a happy King and Queen made for a happy kingdom.


End file.
